Mooring rope protector which is intended, in particular, for a pleasure boat

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a protector for a mooring rope ( 5 ) of a boat, particularly a pleasure boat. The inventive protector comprises a flexible, preferably plastic, tube ( 6 ) in which the mooring rope ( 5 ) can be inserted. The invention is characterised in that the aforementioned tube ( 6 ) is equipped with a retaining means ( 7 ) which is intended to co-operate with a mooring rope guide piece ( 1 ) which is disposed on the boat.

The present invention relates to a protection device for a mooring rope for a boat, particularly a pleasure craft.

More particularly, it relates to a device for protecting the mooring rope at the location of areas of friction between the rope and the boat, such as, in particular, at the level of the fairleads or, alternatively, the davit.

In order to prevent this premature wear of the mooring rope caused by friction of the rope on the boat, it is current practice for boat owners to slip the mooring rope into a piece of flexible pipe and to immobilize this piece of pipe at the level of the fairlead by means of a knot at each end.

This type of arrangement is effective at the time the pieces of pipe are first placed on the various mooring ropes, but on the occasion of the nth mooring of the boat or of a landing stage at another site it seems that the pieces of pipe are no longer in position at the level of the fairleads and thus are no longer effective. Furthermore, the Presence of these pieces of pipe is unattractive on the boat.

Patent FR 2 371 371 describes, in particular, a protection device for hawsers, which consists of a two-segment sheath fitted on either side of the hawser. This device is mounted removably so as to guarantee its rapid, easy fitting. Moreover, this device is: secured to the fixed member carrying the fairlead, by means of bolts, for example.

The object of the invention is to propose a protection device that palliates the abovementioned problems in such a way as to retain full effectiveness of the device irrespective of the mooring location.

To that end, an object of the present invention is a protection device for a mooring rope for a boat, particularly a pleasure craft, consisting of a flexible tube, preferably made from plastics, in which said mooring rope can be engaged, characterized in that said tube is provided with a retention means intended for interacting with a guide piece of the mooring rope arranged on said boat.

According to an advantageous characteristic of the present invention, the retention means consists of a protuberance produced, preferably, from a resilient material.

According to a further advantageous characteristic of the present invention, the protuberance has a spherical shape.

According to a variant embodiment, the retention means consists of a hollow sphere provided with an opening for the passage of the mooring rope or, alternatively, with a wall substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the flexible pipe.

According to a variant embodiment of the present invention, the device also includes a fixing means, of the small-cord type, capable of being fixed to a piece arranged on the deck of said boat.

According to yet a further advantageous characteristic of the present invention, the flexible pipe includes a chamfer at each of its ends.

Another object of the present invention relates to a boat, particularly a pleasure craft, that includes, for at least one mooring rope, a protection device that includes one of the above-mentioned characteristics.

The above-mentioned characteristics of the invention and also others will become more clearly apparent on reading the following description of an illustrative embodiment, with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a fairlead of a boat equipped with a protection device for the mooring cord passing through it;

FIG. 2 is a view in longitudinal section of the device according to the present invention;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are views in section similar to FIG. 2, illustrating, respectively, variant embodiments; and

FIG. 53 is a plan view of a variant embodiment of the protection device according to the present invention arranged on the davit of a boat.

FIG. 1 shows a fairlead 1 of a boat, particularly a pleasure craft, fixed to the edge 2 of the boat and designed to allow the guiding and the change in direction of a mooring rope 5 without causing the latter damage, conventionally having, in longitudinal section, two wings 3 and 4 extending vertically relative to its surface for positioning on the edge of the boat. Each of the ends of the wings 3 and 4 is curved horizontally in the same plane so as to be placed opposite the other, leaving a space 16 designed to allow easy engagement of the mooring rope 5.

This mooring rope 5 is equipped with a protection device against its premature wear, which is generally due to friction. This device is composed of a flexible tube 6, preferably made from plastics, in which the mooring rope 5 is engaged.

According to the present invention, the flexible tube 6 of the protection device is provided with a retention means 7 that interacts with the guide piece 1 of the mooring rope 5.

This retention means 7 of the flexible tube 6 at the level of the guide piece, for example the fairlead 1, consists of a protuberance produced preferably from a resilient material of the rubber or similar type, thus also guaranteeing damping of the sea's swell transmitted to the mooring rope 5.

This protuberance 7 has a shape and dimensions determined so as to guarantee its retention during its interaction with the guide piece 1.

It will thus be understood that said protuberance 7 may have, as illustrated in a non-limiting manner in FIG. 1, a spherical shape, but also a frustoconical or other shape.

To this end, FIGS. 3 and 4 show two possible variant embodiments of a retention means positioned at one of the ends of the flexible tube.

According to FIG. 3, this retention means consists of a hollow sphere provided with an opening for the passage of the mooring rope. An embodiment of this type allows a reduction in the costs of manufacture of such a device by minimizing the thickness of the device as compared to a solid spherical shape as described above.

FIG. 4 shows a further embodiment in which the retention means consists of a wall substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the flexible pipe.

It will already have been understood from reading the above description of the device that it can easily be fitted to the mooring rope 5.

Furthermore, this device, by means of simple sliding over the rope, guarantees effective protection of the rope 5 irrespective of the location of the landing stage. Moreover, the tensile force exerted on the mooring rope 5 ensures contact of the retention means 7 on the guide piece 1, in this case the fairlead.

It will be noted, advantageously, that the end openings 8 and 9 of the flexible pipe 6 have a chamfer 10 and 11 in order to avoid any sharp region that might generate premature wear of the rope, as illustrated in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 shows a variant embodiment of the device, particularly for its application to another guide piece of the rope 5, namely to the davit 12, on the occasion, for example, of the boat's being moored to a buoy.

This device is distinguished from the first embodiment in that it also includes a fixing means 13. This fixing means 13 consists, for example, of a small cord capable of passing through the retention means 7 via the production of an orifice 14 made in this protuberance 7.

This small cord 13 advantageously allows the device to be immobilized on a catch (not shown) of any type available on the deck 15 of the boat.

It will be understood on reading the above description that the device according to the present invention is relatively simple to produce and makes it possible, esthetically, efficiently to protect the various mooring ropes of a boat.

Although the invention has been described in connection with two particular embodiments, it comprises all technical equivalents of the means described. 

1-9. (canceled)
 10. A protection device for a mooring rope for a boat, including pleasure craft, wherein the boat has a guide piece arranged on the boat for receiving the mooring rope, and wherein the protection device comprises: a flexible tube for receiving and engaging the mooring rope, wherein the flexible tube is provided with retention means capable of moving freely, and wherein the retention means includes at least one protuberance associated with the flexible tube, for interacting with the guide piece for receiving the mooring rope.
 11. The protection device of claim 10 wherein the flexible tube is made from a plastic material.
 12. The protection device of claim 10 wherein the protuberance is made from a resilient material.
 13. The protection device of claim 10 wherein the protuberance has a spherical shape.
 14. The protection device of claim 13 wherein the retention means is hollow, and includes an opening for the mooring rope.
 15. The protection device of claim 10 wherein the flexible tube defines a longitudinal axis, and wherein the retention means is a wall which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the flexible tube.
 16. The protection device of claim 10 which further includes fixing means for attachment to a structure associated with portions of the boat.
 17. The protection device of claim 16 wherein the structure is associated with deck portions of the boat.
 18. The protection device of claim 16 wherein the fixing means includes a cord capable of passing through the retention means.
 19. The protection device of claim 18 wherein the retention means includes an orifice formed in the retention means for receiving the cord.
 20. The protection device of claim 10 wherein the flexible tube includes a chamfer at each end of the flexible tube.
 21. The protection device of claim 20 wherein the chamfer at each end of the flexible tube is adjacent to the mooring rope.
 22. A boat, including pleasure craft, having a mooring rope for securing the boat, a guide piece arranged on the boat for receiving the mooring rope, and a protection device for the mooring rope which comprises: a flexible tube for receiving and engaging the mooring rope, wherein the flexible tube is provided with retention means capable of moving freely, and wherein the retention means includes at least one protuberance associated with the flexible tube, for interacting with the guide piece for receiving the mooring rope.
 23. The boat of claim 22 wherein the flexible tube of the protection device is made from a plastic material.
 24. The boat of claim 22 wherein the protuberance of the protection device is made from a resilient material.
 25. The boat of claim 22 wherein the protuberance of the protection device has a spherical shape.
 26. The boat of claim 25 wherein the retention means of the protection device is hollow, and includes an opening for the mooring rope.
 27. The boat of claim 22 wherein the flexible tube of the protection device defines a longitudinal axis, and wherein the retention means of the protection device is a wall which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the flexible tube.
 28. The boat of claim 22 wherein the protection device further includes fixing means for attachment to a structure associated with portions of the boat.
 29. The boat of claim 28 wherein the structure is associated with deck portions of the boat.
 30. The boat of claim 28 wherein the fixing means of the protection device includes a cord capable of passing through the retention means of the protection device.
 31. The boat of claim 30 wherein the retention means of the protection device includes an orifice formed in the retention means for receiving the cord.
 32. The boat of claim 22 wherein the flexible tube of the protection device includes a chamfer at each end of the flexible tube.
 33. The boat of claim 32 wherein the chamfer at each end of the flexible tube is adjacent to the mooring rope. 